University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball adds three more signees in spring
5/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss head men's basketball coach Doc Sadler has announced the signings of Shakur Daniel (Toronto, Ontario), Ladarius Marshall (Jackson, Miss.) and Tyler Stevenson (Columbus, Miss.) for the 2018-19 season.
"We are very excited to have Shakur," Sadler said. "We were looking for another guard that could play multiple positions and one that has played in big games with high character and had success. We feel he gives us those qualities."
Daniel received immense national praise early in his high school career, drawing comparisons to fellow Canadian and current NBA star Andrew Wiggins from USA Today in 2014. He moved to America and starred at Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock, Ark., where he was teammates with Golden Eagle fall signee Nikola Jerotic. Daniel was a NACA All-American as a junior in 2016-17 and his squad won the national title as well.
Marshall is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward out of Forest Hill High School. He has been ranked as high as No. 4 overall in Mississippi in addition to a three-star rating from 247Sports.com. His team finished as the state runner-up in March, and as a junior he averaged 16.7 points 10.8 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.7 assists and played injured the entire season. Marshall was also an All-State honoree as a sophomore, averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks per game.
"We're excited to have him," Sadler said. "I consider him to be the most athletic player in the state. For us to get to where we can compete for championships, we need to get better with athleticism. With him, there's no question we took that in the right direction."
Stevenson has earned a No. 19 ranking in the state by HoopSeen.com, and as a senior averaged 22 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. This past season, he helped his New Hope High School team to the Class 4A state semifinals. He scored 30 points in that final game on the heels of a 23-point, 15-rebound, four-block performance in the quarterfinals. Stevenson also played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game inside Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles last season won their most games since 2011-12, including a C-USA semifinals run, and the team has improved its league win total in each of Sadler's four years at the helm.
